This invention relates to a system for refrigerating and/or heating products which are required to be maintained at a desired temperature during the distribution process to the public such as beer, milk, meats, and other products requiring temperature control. In particular, the invention relates to a multiplex warehousing system wherein certain areas needing cooling and/or heating in the distribution process of the product, such as a vehicle loading area and product storage areas are cooled and/or heated by an efficient and environmentally friendly system.
Heretofore, it has been known to distribute beer and other products using trucks which have a cargo container in which the product is carried during delivery. Sometimes the product is refrigerated and placed in the cargo container, and sometimes the vehicle includes a refrigeration system to maintain the temperature of the product. In either case, the product is often not maintained at the desired temperature either because the product and the cargo container cooling cannot be maintained. In particular, a product is often loaded on the vehicle the night before delivery and the vehicle is utilized in the hot sun the next day. The product is often delivered through the next day resulting in the temperature of the cargo container rising above the desired temperature. If product is left over and remains on the truck at the end of the day, it becomes labor intensive to unload the product and remove it to a refrigerated or heated facility.
Moreover, past systems have used a large number of sealed refrigerant refrigeration systems which require refilling and involve other problems which allow leakage of fluorocarbons into the atmosphere which is highly undesirable. In unrelated uses, it has been known to use a sealed refrigerant system with a compressible/expandable refrigerant to chill a glycol/water solution in ice skating rinks and the like wherein the chilled solution is utilized to maintain the frozen condition of the ice. U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,500 discloses the use of a similar concept in a system for cooling food on an airplane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,967 discloses a method and apparatus for cooling and preserving fresh products in a box compartment, such as a vehicle trailer, by circulating brine from a refrigeration system through cooling circuits disposed in the walls of the box compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,584 discloses a conventional refrigeration system for a trailer truck.
While the above may be suitable for their intended applications, the prior art has not provided a satisfactory system for maintaining the temperature at a number of different temperature zones within a multiplex warehouse distribution system during a distribution process of a beverage or food product using delivery vehicles, particularly, a system for maintaining the temperature of the product in the cargo container of the vehicle while parked at the warehouse complex in a reliable and environmental friendly manner, and without the extensive need of labor to off load and reload the product to maintain the product temperature.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a system which more efficiently and reliably maintains the temperature of product during the distribution process, particularly in the cargo container of a delivery vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a more environmental friendly temperature maintenance system for food and beverage products in the delivery process where the use of sealed fluorocarbon refrigerant units is reduced, particularly at a number of locations and units.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a multiplex system wherein several areas that involve the cooling and/or heating of product and/or the delivery vehicle itself are carried out in an efficient manner using a central system which provides a more efficient and environmental friendly system.